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Hunt-Hess Grades of Brain Aneurysms

Your loved one may be unable to make decisions about treatment. So you may need to decide what’s best for him or her. Your loved one’s neurosurgeon (a surgeon who is an expert on the brain) will talk with you. He or she may refer to the Hunt-Hess scale (see below). This scale helps the surgeon assess a patient’s condition. Test results and the grade of aneurysm can affect treatment options.

Hunt-Hess Grades of Brain Aneurysms

Grade

How Your Loved One May Feel

I

Alert, aware of surroundings, showing no symptoms

II

Alert, aware of surroundings, has headache, has stiff neck

III

Sluggish or confused, has weakness or partial paralysis on one side of the body

IV

Dazed, has total paralysis on one side of the body

V

Comatose

Adapted from Hunt WE, Hess RM. Surgical risk as related to time of intervention in the repair of intracranial aneurysm. J Neurosurg 1968; 28 (1):14–20.